Marco Silva has led Fulham back to the Premier League with plenty to spare as they stormed to the top of the table to win promotion with five games remaining.
The Cottagers secured their return to the top flight, at the first attempt, with a resounding 3-0 victory over Preston North End and they are determined to have an extended stay among the elite, having been a yo-yo club over the past four campaigns. Head coach Silva has plenty of Premier League experience having managed Hull City, Watford and Everton, and it’s possible that all three of those clubs will be playing Championship football next term.
Fulham will be welcomed back by almost all the top flight fans and clubs; Craven Cottage is the most picturesque stadium in the league, on the banks of the River Thames, and the Cottagers are renowned for an attractive brand of football.
But now they want success.
What do Fulham need to stay up?
Relegation in 2019 and 2021 came unexpectedly for Shahid Khan, the owner of Fulham, who has not been slow to open the purse strings and backed his managers generously. This time around Khan will hope that his coach’s Premier League experience will make his team harder to beat, as previous managers Slavisa Jokanovic and Scott Parker were newcomers to top flight leadership.
With 99 goals from 43 games this is a team with real attacking menace. Centre forward Aleksandar Mitrovic has ripped up the Championship this term, scoring an incredible 41 league goals so far and he’ll hope he can replicate this form in the Premier League, having previously struggled at the top level. He has thrived under Silva who adopts a brave attacking style which gives the red hot Serb all the supply he needs…and he delivers. Mitrovic has blown Ivan Toney’s Championship record of 32 out of the water and the Brentford man has continued to do well after taking the step up.
Another player who is sure to make some Premier League 2022 news is attacking midfielder Harry Wilson who has already weighed in with ten goals and 15 assists. The 25 year old, on loan from Liverpool, has played in the top flight before with Bournemouth and he has matured under the Fulham boss. In 2013, at the age of 16, Wilson became the youngest ever player to be capped by Wales and now he is ready to mix it with the big boys, with Fulham if his move is made permanent.
Fulham spent heavily last time around but this time Silva and Khan will take a more measured approach and make fewer, shrewder signings. The Cottagers need to be hard to beat and Silva will target men who know how to keep the world’s best players at bay. England keeper Nick Pope has been on Fulham’s radar and, if Burnley are relegated then the England man will surely be snapped up by a Premier League club, though his sights may be set higher. The same could be said for Jordan Pickford, should Everton perish.
Watford are as good as down; and Fulham could do worse than targeting midfield general Tom Cleverly; the 32 year old has plenty of top flight experience with Everton and Aston Villa and is a calm operator with a good reading of the game.
Who will join the Cottagers?
Silva can start preparing for life in the top flight again and now the fans of the Championship’s ‘best of the rest’ are hoping their team can claim a place in the Promised Land. But who is likely to join Fulham?
Bournemouth
Former Fulham boss Scott Parker looks to be heading back to the top flight with the Cherries who have been the closest to Fulham in terms of quality. The two teams played out a 1-1 draw on Saturday as Dominic Solanke scored a late equaliser after Mitrovic had given Fulham the lead. With 27 goals and six assists he has been a revelation this season and Solanke will look forward to playing in the top flight again if Bournemouth can make it over the line. The former Liverpool striker has made 63 appearances in the Premier League and he is ready for another crack.
Nottingham Forest
The Cherries have four games to play while the chasing pack have only two, apart from fourth placed Nottingham Forest who also have four and are five points behind Silva’s men. Steve Cooper is one of the most promising coaches in football and he has brought Forest to the brink, but with an away game to Fulham on the cards he may have to take his chance in the play-offs.
In terms of the top flight trapdoor, the latest Premier League 2022 betting odds say it will be Norwich City, Watford and one of Burnley or Everton; though Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Leeds United need a win or two to avoid being dragged into a last minute panic. Keep an eye on the SBOTOP odds as the results roll in at the bottom end of the Premier League.
There are sure to be twists and turns to come and some shredded nerves by the end of the drama; but not in West London where Fulham can relax and look forward to next season.
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